25th November 2010

£32K Joint venture clears the way to restore Aldershot Path

A vital stretch of a local walkway is to be restored thanks to a joint venture between a conservation charity, Rushmoor Borough Council, and a major employer in the area.

The Blackwater Valley Path runs for 23 miles, from Farnham to Swallowfield in Berkshire, and provides exercise and recreation
for thousands of users. A stretch just over 400 metres long, from the Heron Wood Estate to Aldershot Park, has in recent years degenerated to a state which, in
bad weather, has made it virtually unusable.

The Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust (BVCT), a conservation
charity set up to facilitate environmental projects, applied successfully for funding from the
TAG Community Fund run by Rushmoor Borough Council. This
fund comes from a levy on each plane movement at Farnborough Airport. In addition, they were able to secure a sizeable donation from a major local employer.

The total project value is over £32,000, which will be used to finance three aspects:

• resurfacing a 435m part of the path in Fibredec, a 2.5m wide multi-user surface suitable for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users;
• installing a culvert to replace an existing sleeper bridge and thereby remove a steep gradient;
• installing a gate and ‘motor cycle inhibitor’ to discourage the use of the path by motor bikes but allow access by other users.

The stretch in question provides a key link between the Heron Wood Estate and both the recreational facilities at Aldershot Park and Connaught School. It is an important off-road route through a very urban area. Currently in a narrow and uneven state, the surface becomes muddy and waterlogged, and this project will increase the length of the Blackwater Valley Path that is multi-user standard.

Dave Pilkington, Chairman of BVCT, said:

“BVCT is delighted to have obtained this funding and made it possible for such an important project to go ahead. I would like to thank everyone involved for pushing it through so smoothly and quickly”.

Councillor Roland Dibbs, Cabinet Member for Environment at Rushmoor Borough Council, said: “We are pleased to have been able to award funding towards this project in order for the improvements to this stretch of the path to go ahead and to increase usability again.”

The TAG Community and Environment fund is available to help groups like the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust help fund areas of projects that have an emphasis on the environment and environmental improvements.

The project has been supported by users of the Path such as the Blackwater Valley Runners, the Tongham Wood Improvement Group, and Pavilion Housing Association. Contractors have been instructed, and the work is scheduled to be undertaken as soon as weather conditions are suitable.

The Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust is a charity set up in 2006 to promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of the Blackwater Valley.

END

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For more information contact:
Christine Reeves, Visitor Promotions Officer on 01252 331353.
Ash Lock Cottage, Government Road, Aldershot GU11 2PS